Because there were quite a few families in the village with the surname Gu, when people heard the children’s shouting, their hearts immediately tightened.
“Hey, Wang Niuwa, speak clearly, which Gu family has a thief?”
“The Gu Dahai grandfather’s family.”
Gu Dahai was Old Gu’s real name.
Very quickly, Wang Niuwa led the message all the way to the fields where the Gu family members were working.
He ran straight to Gu Shiye, who was loading goods onto the tractor, and shouted loudly, “Third Uncle, bad news, your house has a thief!”
Mother Gu’s reaction was the strongest upon hearing this.
“What! Which damned thief has the guts to steal from my house? If I catch him, I’ll kill him!”
She immediately dropped what she was doing and tried to run back.
Gu Shicheng was anxious beyond belief, because the first thing that came to his mind was Lin Baozhu.
He thought he could run faster than his mother to go back and handle the situation.
But Wang Niuwa quickly shouted again at Gu Shiye, “Third Uncle, don’t worry, Third Aunt is at home keeping an eye on the thief!”
“What, my wife is pregnant, how can she confront a thief?”
Gu Shicheng’s heart sank. He quickly analyzed the situation. His third sister-in-law was physically weak and pregnant, so she definitely could not handle the thief. His mother was also one of his own people, so if she went back, she would definitely try to help Lin Baozhu. But if Gu Shiye rushed back, it would be different.
So he deliberately took a wrong turn, planning to secretly intercept Gu Shiye.
But he never expected Gu Shiye to drive the tractor straight toward him at full speed.
It almost ran him over. He barely dodged it in shock.
“Third Brother, are you crazy?”
Gu Shiye turned his head and glanced at him coldly.
“You’re the crazy one. My wife is at home pregnant and fighting a thief, and you still dare to block my way? You’re asking for death.”
The two brothers locked eyes, sparks practically flying between them.
Gu Shicheng felt increasingly uneasy. The current Gu Shiye was sharp, aggressive, and completely different from the brother he remembered as a child who used to bully him.
Mother Gu was already older, and halfway back she was overtaken first by Gu Shiye, then by Eldest Sister-in-law Wang Lihua and Ruan Hongmei.
Seeing everyone rushing back, she was out of breath like a broken bellows and simply sat by the roadside to rest.
Gu Shicheng watched the group rushing toward the Gu house and felt extremely conflicted.
He did not know how to save Lin Baozhu when they got back.
In the end, he went over, pulled his mother up from the roadside, and dragged her along.
He believed that at the critical moment, his mother would definitely help them.
Gu Shiye and the two sisters-in-law, along with several villagers, soon arrived at the Gu family’s old courtyard.
Li Wenxiu also stepped out of the yard.
Gu Shiye immediately rushed over.
“Wife, are you alright?”
Li Wenxiu secretly blinked at him happily, then said, “I’m fine, I just got so scared my stomach hurts a little.”
Wang Lihua asked urgently, “XiuXiu, did that thief already run away? Did he mess up our room?”
Li Wenxiu looked innocent.
“I don’t know. When I came back, I saw him rummaging through our room. I was too scared, so I locked the room from the outside when he wasn’t paying attention. He should still be inside.”
“Daring to steal from our house? I’m going in and killing him!”
Wang Lihua, always hot-tempered, picked up her sickle and marched toward the room.
Li Wenxiu could not help secretly laughing, because inside the room, Lin Baozhu had already been beaten black and blue. She had thoroughly enjoyed that beating just now.
As more and more villagers gathered outside, even the brigade captain had rushed over.
By the time Gu Shicheng helped his mother back, his heart was already in his throat.
At that moment, Mother Gu suddenly remembered something and said loudly in front of everyone, “Old Fourth, didn’t your wife go back to boil water earlier? Where is she? I hope she hasn’t been harmed by the thief.”
Everyone turned their eyes toward him with confusion, some worried, most eager to watch the drama.
Gu Shicheng’s mind turned into chaos. He quickly reached out and covered his mother’s mouth.
At this moment, he only wished there really was another thief in the house. It absolutely could not be revealed in front of everyone that the person inside was Lin Baozhu.
In the courtyard, Wang Lihua stood proudly outside the side room door and cursed loudly.
“You damned thief, get out here! You chose to steal from the Gu family of all places? I curse you for never having a son!”
Gu Shiye and Gu Shinian exchanged a glance.
“Second Brother, let’s go in together and drag that thief out.”
Gu Shinian nodded, picking up a tool and following Gu Shiye inside.
The brigade captain shouted worriedly from behind, “Second, Third, don’t kill anyone, just catch him!”
Inside the room, Lin Baozhu, already bruised and battered, was so panicked she wanted to dig a hole and disappear. Unfortunately, the windows all faced the courtyard, so she had nowhere to escape.
Just as she was about to lose her mind, the door was kicked open. In a panic, she crawled under the bed.
Gu Shicheng finally gathered his courage and rushed in. The moment he entered, he recognized Lin Baozhu’s backside sticking out from under the bed.
Gu Shinian reached out to pull her out, but Gu Shicheng quickly grabbed his hand.
“Second Brother, wait!”
But Gu Shiye showed no intention of stopping. He grabbed Lin Baozhu by her pants and dragged her out directly.
“Fourth sister-in-law? The thief is actually you!”
Gu Shicheng reacted instantly.
“No, Third Brother, Baozhu is part of our Gu family. How could she possibly be a thief?”
Lin Baozhu quickly came up with an excuse.
“Yes, yes! I saw a big rat run into this room, so I came in to catch it. I even thought such a big rat would make a good meat dish for lunch.”
Everyone outside the room stared at the couple in stunned silence.
Gu Shiye glanced at the crowd outside, then looked back at them with a meaningful smile.
“You broke into my room and turned everything upside down. Any normal person would think you were searching for something. And you’re telling me you were catching a rat? Do I look that easy to fool?”
“Third Brother…” Gu Shicheng almost wanted to kneel.
Gu Shiye said coldly, “I’m reporting this to the police. Let the police investigate!”
“No, you can’t report this!” Mother Gu, torn by favoritism and doubt, finally stepped forward, “Third, we are all family. Let’s just settle this privately, alright?”